The event will highlight work by Qataris and Arabs alongside entries from international filmmakers.

'Bridging cultures'

De Niro, the co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, said: "We hope that film will not only be used as a form of entertainment, but play a role in bridging cultures closer together.

"By learning each other's stories, we can see how much we share in common as well as explore and better understand our differences."

Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates, launched its first film festival last year, competing for attention with a similar event in its fifth year in the rival city of Dubai.

Michael Bloomberg, the New York City mayor, said in a statement: "The Tribeca Film Festival's substantial cultural and economic impact in New York City is unequivocal, and our hope is that Doha will reap similar benefits.

The expansion of a New York institution like the Tribeca Film Festival to Doha is a sign of the international significance of New York City cinema and will help foster new relationships between our two cities," he said.

While it remains unclear how the country's attitude toward censorship will affect the festival, most countries in the Middle East, including Qatar and the UAE, censor and occasionally ban entire movies.

Craig Hatkoff, another Tribeca co-founder also present at the signing of the deal, said: "This initiative underscores the enormous potential of the entertainment market in the Middle East and the strategic importance of the region to the future of the film industry.

"In addition to the positive cultural implications, this initiative underscores the enormous potential of the entertainment market in the Middle East and the strategic importance of the region to the future of the film industry," said Hatkoff.

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2001 by De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, a film producer, and her husband Craig Hatkoff in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City.

The festival's initial purpose was to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.